Reading Library for The Art Within Podcast S1

Hey listeners! Houston here. If you’ve been listening to The Art Within Podcast for any length of time, there have been several books that Nate and myself reference frequently—and others that have influenced us for years toward the ideas we’re often talking about. I thought that I’d compile a list of the “Library of Art Within Literature” so that people might have a better resource to explore these ideas more fully. Several of these books are explicitly Christian, because quite honestly that’s the framework through which we’ve approached this show. I’m hopeful, however, that none of them are too unapproachable for anyone coming from a different background—and there’s plenty of other stuff on the list, too.

We’re also considering doing some kind of book club in future seasons, so maybe one of these books could end up being the one we all read together! Until then, here’s the list of recommended reading after you finish season one…

“Tolkien would never have finished ‘The Lord of the Rings’ without Lewis continually encouraging him and urging him on.”

If you’re at all familiar with JRR Tolkien or CS Lewis, you may know that they were close friends. If you’re a little more studied, you may also know that they both founded a group of writers called The Inklings who would meet every week at the Eagle & Child Pub to share their writing and ideas. Bandersnatch is a remarkably well-researched book that unpacks the origins and life of The Inklings’ friendship…and studies what made them such an effective example of creative collaboration. There’s so much practical and down-to-earth wisdom about being an artist here…not to mention tons of interesting (and sometimes funny) anecdotes about Lewis/Tolkien’s friendship, and some great discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I’ve thought that this might be the best pick for a book club in the future, and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who desires community with other artists.

“This is a book about Heaven, but I must say too that…I have wondered sometimes if it would not finally turn out to be a book about Hell.”

Jayber Crow is one of Nate’s top picks. I must confess, at the time of writing this piece, I’m only partway through it, but I plan to finally finish this summer—because I’ve heard nothing but profoundly good things. Here’s what Nate had to say about it:

“This book is hard to describe to those who have not read the entire thing. It follows the wandering journey of a small-town barber as he wrestles with unrequited love and learns to love the beauty of smallness. I didn’t understand the significance of the narrative until I hit the third act of the book and, even then, it wasn’t until the last page that I fully appreciated the weight of the story. So, if you’re willing to commit to this unusual tale, there are many moments of profundity, humor and heartbreak that will challenge and encourage you if you let them. I walked away from the novel with a tremendous love for my own community, even when they aren’t always able to love me back.”

“Listening to teens talk about social media addiction reveals an interest not in features of their computers, smartphones, or even particular social media sites…but in each other.”

If it wasn’t obvious, danah boyd is hip with the kids because she stylizes her name in all lowercase. That sounds sarcastic, but I’m being fully serious; It’s Complicated was published in 2014, but it feels like it was written with the intention to be timeless. Some of the references to Facebook and Tumblr feel dated, but boyd herself acknowledges that while the specific social media platforms will continue to change, the principles that drive people to engage on them will remain the same. This book is an empathetic, perceptive, and savvy analysis of what makes the internet tick, refreshingly free of fear-mongering. It’s a well-researched and well-interviewed understanding of social media as a public square, as a technology, and as a social gathering place.

“Our job is not to entertain others, but simply to include them in what we do.”

If you’ve listened to any of The Art Within Podcast, you’ve definitely heard Nate and myself talk about our experiences at L’Abri in England. There’s been lots of writing over the years about the original L’Abri in Switzerland during its earlier days in the 1950s, but markedly less writing about L’Abri in the modern day. This book, published in 2003, focuses on English L’Abri and one worker’s experiences living there for over a decade. It’s easily the most well-captured and vivid portrait of L’Abri as a place that I’ve read, and it does a beautiful job exploring all of the ideas that drive the place, too. I can only hope that our L’Abri documentary somehow translates like the film version of this book. It’s hard to find new, but you can buy used copies on places like eBay if you look for them!

“Unbeknownst to them at the time, an animator would become a sculptor who created characters that would live on for generations. A background artist would become a master at ride layouts. A man known for his ability to draw would write lyrics that park visitors would be humming their whole lives…Imagineering grew beyond the confines of Walt’s mind, but it never stopped coaxing out hidden talents from artists, craftspeople, scientists, and technicians who were, like Walt, unfettered dreamers.”

The Imagineering Story is a hefty tome of stories and knowledge (it’s nearly 800 pages!) chronicling the history of Walt Disney Imagineering from their inception with Disneyland all the way up to the modern day. I’m a theme park design nerd, so this was always going to be especially interesting to me—but I think there are plenty of universal lessons here about creative collaboration/community and how a diverse set of uniquely talented people bred innovation by uniting under a common goal. It’s easily the most in-depth look at Imagineers you’ll ever find. If you’re not up for a book so huge, the Disney Plus series by the same name is equally inspiring.

“Wisdom, it seems, is situational. It isn’t just about knowing what to say; it’s about knowing when to say it. And it’s not just about knowing what is true; it’s about knowing when it’s true.”

My first interaction with Rachel Held Evans’ writing was shortly after her tragic death from cancer in 2019, when the many stories of her life and wisdom started pouring across social media. Even so, her words have served as balm for my soul as I’ve gone through my own deconstruction and reconstruction similar to the one she describes in Inspired. Rachel grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical environment, taught to view The Bible as an unquestionable book of facts and answers. Naturally, her relationship with it began to change and fracture when she hit college. This book follows her journey of rediscovery and re-enchantment, honestly coming to terms with what The Bible is not and filling the reader with wonder for what it is. Many of the chapter openings incorporate different literary styles; one of them imagines the Book of Job in screenplay format, another writes the story of Mary in first person, and yet another the parable of Jonah as Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. Just when my relationship with The Bible was getting stale and static years ago, this book came along and profoundly changed how I relate to it, with honesty and humanity.

“If we get to make the very cultures that shape who we are, then let us remake them in the best way possible.”

Propaganda is one of the few authors/performers on this list that I’ve met personally—and full disclosure, he’s easily one of the most profoundly wise and brilliant people I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. Terraform works best in audiobook form, where you can hear Prop’s snarky-yet-humble voice telling you stories from his life and reading his spoken-word poetry with equal vigor and playfulness. It’s a down-to-earth look at how the world can be whatever we make it to be, balancing Prop’s knowledge of church culture with hip-hop culture in equal measure. It’s witty, it’s practical, it’s poetic, and Prop is the type of guy to say things like, “you are heaven’s handmade calligraphy slumming it among Papyrus fonts.” It’s hard to describe the eloquence and profundity of Prop’s writing/rapping style to anyone uninitiated, so I’d just say go listen to his song called Complicated and meet me back here.

“A work of art is a gift, not a commodity…works of art exist simultaneously in two ‘economies’, a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift, there is no art.”

The Gift was recommended to me by former L’Abri worker Andy Patton, after I’d already heard about it from Andrew Fellows’ quintessential L’Abri lecture called “The Gift Economy” several years ago. While the first half of the book is pretty academic and historically-focused, it’s easy to read many of the chapters like independent essays—and particularly in the second half of the book, Hyde focuses on the way that artistic gifts can change the world by upending the traditional “market economy” that usually drives society. It’s what pushed me toward ideas like intentional hospitality, CouchSurfing, BuyNothing groups, and a sense of “artistic generosity” in everyday vocation. It might transform how you see the world.

“I want you, dear reader, to remember that one holy way of mending the world is to sing, to write, to paint, to weave new worlds…maybe the song you’re writing is for one specific heartbroken soul who won’t be born for another four hundred years.”

Speaking of authors I’ve met, Andrew Peterson has a very different energy to Propaganda, but he’s equally brilliant. Out of all the authors on this list, I don’t think I’ve resonated with one particular voice and experience more than Andrew’s—probably because he’s a fellow Enneagram Four. Both of these books are part theology, part creative instruction, and part memoir. Andrew’s life as a singer, songwriter, author, father, and gardener is full of stories that have comforted me during hard seasons as an artist and a person…and he’s delightfully unafraid of a long tangent or rabbit-trail about walkable community, footpaths in England, the tragedy of the suburbs, and even a bit of nerdy fantasy lore. If you’re ever doubting your purpose as an artist, Adorning The Dark is like a warm bowl of hearty soup that will allow you to rest and keep going on the journey.

“The more genuinely creative the writer is, the more he will want his work to develop in accordance with its own nature, and to stand independent of himself.”

The Mind of The Maker is a classic piece of literature about faith & art, and it’s another one of Nate’s picks. Here’s what he had to say:

“A fascinating examination of the Trinity through the lens of the creative process, Mind of the Maker is deeply provocative and intriguing both for those seeking to better understand their own creativity as well as anyone interested in a unique exploration of the Christian doctrine of God, a singular being expressed in three distinct persons.”

“The General Theory of Walkability explains how, to be favored, a walk has to satisfy four main conditions: it must be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting.”

Jeff Speck’s Walkable City is an extremely seminal (and yet highly accessible) book that will radicalize you toward the desire for better cities across the US. Speck breaks down the grim, unsettling, and statistically-proven details of how our car-centric society leaves us injured and divided—and proposes extremely practical and realistic solutions to fix our isolated culture with better urban planning. Read it and weep. And then get passionate about walkability.

“We are here in a physical world, with physical bodies, because that is exactly where God purposed us to be and where we shall be in the future…having bodies is not a barrier to spirituality, but how we live out our spirituality in a physical world.”

James (or Jim) Paul is the current director of English L’Abri, and probably one of the most humble and honest people I’ve ever met. What On Earth is Heaven? is his first book, written as a result of the many experiences he’s had with students at L’Abri who were raised in church but clearly had no idea what “heaven” was supposed to mean or look like. I talked in Episode 9 of the podcast about how New Creation Theology is a vital part of valuing art, culture, and beauty in the church—and Jim’s book is a great step toward understanding “heaven” not as an ethereal escapist dreamland in the clouds, but as a tangible dimension of existence where God’s will is done. It’s accessible and much-needed.

“So often, ‘Christian artists’ feel that their role is to take on the enemy, whereas they would produce better and more accessible work if they dealt with the contradictions, waverings, and weaknesses within themselves.”

This is a special book to end the list. Imagine is the book that brought my wife Debbie to L’Abri, where we first met—all because the author, Steve Turner, offhandedly mentions his time at L’Abri in one of the early chapters. My wife Debbie grew up in an environment where being a Christian and an artist felt almost like two contradictory things; Imagine was one of the first books that showed her that faith and art weren’t just capable of co-existing, but were actually divinely intertwined. Ironically, the book only ended up in her hands because it had been published in Czech and Slovak by an independent publishing house…founded by Marsh Moyle, who ended up being Debbie’s closest mentor and friend at L’Abri. Sometimes crazy things like that just circle back around. The book is great, too; Turner expertly breaks down why so much “Christian art” in the modern day is sorely lacking in excellence and honesty, and explores what truly great art made by Christians could (and maybe should) look like.

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Thanks for making it to the end of this list, and for listening to The Art Within Podcast. We’ll be back for Season Two sometime later this year with more guests and conversations! If you’ve got any suggestions for people you’d like to see on the show, or episode topics/ideas you’d like to hear discussed, be sure to comment on this post or drop us a message at artwithinpodcast@gmail.com.